Story of his life - 1

Go to chapter 9 (if you missed it)

My name is Jani. And I was selected for this year trip to Uda. It was great honor for me. And great surprise. I just recently come to age to be eligible for selection, so I succeed in first try! I'm so excited!

Life was not easy for me. My mother died when I was very young. My father told me that she never recovered from my difficult birth. He loved her so much. He was always telling me that I have her eyes and kind soul.

My father died in last dragon mating season. He was a hunter and was not able to get back to relative safety of our village before crazed dragons started their ritual. I was barely old enough to take care about myself. Neighbors tried to help me, but they did not had much to spare. Maybe that was why I was the first choice for trip.

They say life is much easier in Uda. Lots of free lasses to marry and river with lots of fish that never freezes. But trip through mountain pass and dragon cave is dangerous. I don't know about anyone that made it back. Either they all died or no one wants to return from Uda back here. I hope for the later.

Dragons are no threat otherwise, but when they mate they don't know what they are doing so we need to go out of their way.

Life is hard in our snowy valley. Only in short summer patches of grass appear. Not many people live here and only those hardest survive. Was it not for dragons we would have perished long time ago. Soil that was touched with dragon fire takes quite long to freeze again - just enough to give us one harvest of grass seeds and some berries. Together with some hunting and fishing we get just enough to survive.

And nearly every year, when dragons fight for right to mate one of them dies. Then we feast on its meat and make clothes from their hide that keeps you warm even in hardest winter.

On today's village gathering, after I was selected, everyone gave me something for my trip. Some gave smoked or dried dragon meat, some seeds, roots or medicine herbs. I even got fine dragon clothes from village elder and big backpack to keep all my things in. Those clothes were perfect fit for me so maybe they know for some time that they choose me.

I thanked all of them and went home for my last sleep on bed, probably for a long time. Tomorrow morning I will go. Summer won't be long and I need every ray of sun to keep me warm up in the mountains.

Go to chapter 2